How to Avoid Hitting a Plateau in Weight Loss {Fatty Friday}

Yep, folks I have hit a plateau in weight loss many times in the past. I’m rocking along, losing and sometimes gaining every now and then and then Bam! there it is – ZERO pounds lost. Of course, I know you’re all going to say that’s also ZERO pounds gained, which is totally a good thing, but I’m frustrated. I’ve cut back on sodium (a little). I’ve stuck to the plan (mostly). I’ve increased my water (and considered moving my desk into the office restroom because of it). Yet I still hit a plateau. So, I’ve done some research and I’m going to try a few new things this week and hopefully I’ll have a more exciting Fatty Friday post for you next week.

How to Avoid Hitting a Plateau in Weight Loss

1. Write down what you eat

If it passes your lips, it counts. Period. Writing it down will keep you accountable for every single bite you take. This week I will do this, reluctantly, but I will do it. I may even publish it with next week’s post. Maybe.

2. Watch portion sizes

This is a big one for me because my husband cooks most of my meals and I just eat what he gives me on my plate. He tries to make my portions smaller, but he cares about me and knows I get hungry. He also is allotted more calories than me so he may not realize that he’s giving me too much. But, I can’t blame it all on him because, honestly, we have been eating out a LOT lately. He’s tired. My boy and I like to eat out. It’s fast and easy and sometimes more affordable for us to eat out. Which leads me to #3…

3. Limit restaurant eating

Restaurants have become known for bigger portions with lower prices. They want to entice you to eat there because of the “value” they can provide. For the most part, it is less expensive for my family to eat out than to buy the supplies needed for Howard to cook (especially because he’s a chef and likes to make elaborate meals sometimes). This week I will be eating more at home and I might even have to pick up a food scale so I can watch my portions better on my own. I’ll let you know how it goes.

4. Exercise more to push past the plateau

Howard mentioned this one last night because we haven’t started our exercise yet. We are both very large people and high impact exercise is just not going to be good for our bodies just yet. We need to find some extra exercising that will help us push past this plateau and go easy on our feet, legs, and knees. I’ve always wanted to join the water aerobics at the YMCA so maybe I’ll just have to check into that. We can also start walking around the neighborhood as a family because our boy loves when we do that. Howard has a physical job so it’s hard to get him to want to do extra exercise, but he’s starting to show signs of plateau as well so hopefully we can push past this together.

5. Forget the diet for a day and CHEAT!

Okay, I said it. Let’s cheat for a day and have what we want. Sometimes in our weight loss journey we tend to feel deprived and this affects our psychological beings. Go ahead and have a day to just eat what you want and then don’t forget to throw away any leftovers so you don’t continue the next day. This will help you, psychological and emotionally, and will throw your metabolism for a loop. Your body can tend to get bored of the same old thing every single day and this will excite the body and then shock it into losing again the next day. I have learned that my body cannot handle the one day per week shock cheat method that some people might recommend, but if I’m “good” for several weeks and then have ONE day per month then I can see results. Having said all of this, you all know from last week’s Fatty Friday post that I had quite a few of those days recently so I’m not due another for a while. I usually try to take my “cheat” day during my monthly cycle because I have chocolate cravings.

So, what do you think about these ideas? Doing a search online for other ways to avoid a plateau in weight loss will give you tons of ideas, but these are the top five in my book. I’m hoping that putting some of this in place for this week will help me push past the plateau. I’m at 328.4 (41 lbs lost) this week and hoping to have a better number for you next week.

Hi y'all! I'm Janet - I am a work outside the home mom of one super silly six year old boy. I am learning how to have fun with my family through Family Fun activities, Crazy Crafts for Kids, and more! I'm also sharing my family's story of weight loss and my own story of depression and anxiety.
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